Galaxies and the Universe
Misconceptions and Educational Research

Common misconceptions include:

Other galaxies may be inside our Solar System or the Milky Way.

All galaxies are the same.

Most galaxies can easily be seen without a telescope.

Research includes:

How do visitors understand the universe?
This article, which was published in the May/June 1999 Association of Science-Technology Centers Newsletter, presents an overview of several front-end visitor studies from museums and science centers.

The Solar System in Its Universal Context: Ideas, Misconceptions, Strategies, and Programs to Enhance Learning
J.A. Grier, E.L. Reinfeld, M.E. Dussault, S.J. Steel and
R.Gould1, Universe Forum, presented at LPSC XXXVI
The study's data suggests that some of the misconceptions
relating to the size of the solar system, placement,
distance, scale and hierarchy of astronomical objects
are introduced or reinforced by not including the
solar system in a consistent, coherent picture within
the rest of the galaxy and universe. If these ideas and
misconceptions are not addressed, they can form
barriers to developing new and more accurate internal
models, and impede the assimilation of any new
evidence or ideas within those models.